Thanks to the generous support of community members, civic associations, and charitable foundations and organizations, Operation Elf was able to provide holiday gifts to 174 children with a parent incarcerated in Alexandria.

This annual giving program ensures that children who have a parent being held at the Adult Detention Center will receive toys, games, gift cards, books, and other holiday gifts. Each year Inmate Services team members ask inmates if they want to participate and get information, like age and gender, about their children. Staff then select gifts, pack them up in a decorative bag, and arrange for a family member or guardian to pick up the gifts the week before Christmas.

In addition, Operation Elf provided gifts to families in Together We Bake, a program that empowers underserved and formerly incarcerated women through workforce training and personal development, as well as to Villa Advocacy Group and Casa Chirilagua.

In total, more than 300 children and 100 families benefited from Operation Elf in the 2024 holiday season. Programs like Operation Elf help keep families connected during the holidays and encourage a smoother transition when a parent does return to the community.

This is only possible thanks to generous donations of toys, gift cards and funds from community members and organizations. Sheriff Sean Casey and the entire Sheriff’s Office family would like to thank everyone who donated to Operation Elf and shared the spirit of the holiday season! We also want to thank WUSA9 for covering Operation Elf!

Above: Inmate Programs Manager Gloria Wright gives bags full of donated gifts to an inmate's family member. Below: Inmate Programs Manager Gloria Wright, Education Coordinator Krista Sofonia and Volunteer Coordinator Shakayla Farmer carry bags full of gifts for Operation Elf families.